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Ascension and its gifts to apply in our lost world

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  Second Lesson Evening Prayer (Ascension) Ephesians 4:1-16 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and s...
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Rogation Sunday---5th Sunday after Easter. The Sowing and Reaping of our lives and the Making of Sermons

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  Making of Sermons Rogation Sunday, 5th S. after Easter and Making of our Lives through Sowing  and Reaping I had the privilege of talking with a gentleman in California when I was there who used to discuss things with me in the retirement home where my Dad was living.  ( He and his wife were both residents of the beautiful Retirement Home in Pacific Grove)I found out later I could never win an argument /discussion as he always seemed to have an answer.  Later I found out  he was the retired head of the Rhetoric dept and debate at Stanford Univ! No wonder. After several visits out there to see Dad we became friends and still discussed , but I was more prepared knowing who he was . He wrote a book recently on " The Rhetoric of the Pulpit" , Dr. Jon Ericson, and on the back he took my endorsement as a Retired Army Chaplain  along with several others who had read his mss and assisted in that way. One of the things he says in his book which I rather like is " ...
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James for the 4th Sunday after Easter

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  Christian Living proceeds from Christian faith and vice versa “The Christian Life Gives Us Christian Living”    James  1:17.. The Collect. O ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. St. James i. 17. EVERY good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all...
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Easter Comfort , " I will see you again."

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  John 16:16-22  …”  A Little While and You shall see Me” EASTER Comfort 16:22 is my text. " 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."  Sorrow here is - lýpē – properly, distress, vexation; (figuratively) physical or emotional pain; heavy, heart-sorrow (grief) that brings a person down.  Biblehub.com  Joy is grace, charis in the greek which is the same word for God's grace.  This is  good because all good things come from God alone actually.      As Christians we have the hope based on the certainty of the record of Holy Scripture that Easter is true.  But we do not live that way, do we?  We live more as the world where our lives seem empty, hopeless and bereft of the comfort of God.  We seek those things that can never give us what we need.  The things of this world are temporal but th...
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